Basic Tips for Styling Long Hair

One great thing about having long hair is that there are a lot of different ways in which you can style it. But even with this being said, many long-haired women run out of styling ideas and/or aren’t sure how to keep their long hair healthy.

So in an effort to help out with these issues, let’s look at some basic tips for styling long hair.

Basics

When you’re in the shower shampooing and conditioning your locks, try to avoid causing a lot of friction between your hair strands. Shampoo is typically for cleansing the scalp, so avoid pulling the ends of your strands, and rubbing your hair all together like a shampoo commercial. Instead, massage the shampoo onto your scalp, and don’t put shampoo on your ends. The opposite applies to conditioner because it’s meant for your ends and not your scalp. This will reduce split ends, breakage, and frizz when you’re styling your long hair.

Don’t forget to use a wide tooth comb to detangle your hair when it’s wet. If you’re detangling your strands, always begin at the ends and work your way up to the roots to avoid damaging your locks. Long hair tends to be dry at the ends, so it’s safe to use a hair oil to keep your hair hydrated. Coconut oil, Argon oil, and other oils work well, but are best kept away from your scalp unless you are using them as a hot oil treatment.

Many hair stylists recommend getting hair trims every three months; however, if you’re growing your hair out and have healthy hair with very few split ends, then you only need a trim when you notice lots of split ends popping up. You can even avoid the salon if you feel comfortable enough trimming the split ends off as you see them occurring.

Styling Wet Hair

Always pat your hair dry instead of rubbing the strands together so that you’re not creating friction between the strands! Avoid using blow dryers when possible, and if you have the time, use your blow dryer on the cold setting because this reduces frizz and closes the hair cuticle to reduce damage and lock in moisture.

Styling wet locks is quick and easy, after drying your hair will look elegant, with a nice texture and feel.

A simple wet hairstyle is the braid, but there are a lot of ways to spice up the basic braid. Always comb your locks with a wide tooth comb or your fingers before styling wet hair so that it looks clean and put-together.

Begin by braiding your bangs out of your face with a basic braid.

Then, when you run out of hair, secure it with a clear rubber band. Pull the braid back and pin it to your head.

Now divide the rest of your locks into two sections: braid each into two normal braids and secure them with two more clear hair ties.

Tie the two large braids into a half knot, pulling them to the opposite sides of where they start; you may need to tie another half knot before you pin the knot/bun in place.

Finish the look by tucking the ends of each braid under your braids with bobby pins.

You can make a wet hairstyle more manageable and less likely to frizz by using a finishing spray once you’ve completed the style. It’s also a good idea to use a smoothing serum or milk before styling your wet locks for the day.